WTT Champions Montpellier: Matsushima and Wang Manyu top seeds as Möregårdh defends title

Elite table tennis returns to the south of France this week as WTT Champions Montpellier gets under way on Tuesday, 27 October, at the Sud de France Arena. The six-day event, which runs until Sunday, 1 November, brings 32 men and 32 women to Montpellier for the third edition of the tournament, with Japan's Sora Matsushima and China's Wang Manyu installed as the top seeds.

Who is defending what

Sweden's Truls Möregårdh returns as men's champion after beating Matsushima in last year's final, a result that gives this week's top seed some unfinished business. On the women's side, China's Wang Yidi is the holder after edging Germany's Sabine Winter in a seven-game final in 2025, which went the distance at 11-9 in the decider.

Home fans will also be watching Félix Lebrun, who won the inaugural Montpellier event in 2024 and is chasing a second title in front of a French crowd.

First-round ties to watch

The draw, made on Sunday, has produced several eye-catching openers. Möregårdh begins against France's Thibault Poret, while Matsushima meets Germany's Dang Qiu. Brazil's Hugo Calderano faces Japan's Hiroto Shinozuka, and China's Lin Shidong takes on South Korea's Lim Jonghoon.

Japan's Tomokazu Harimoto, fresh from winning the Asian Championships singles title last weekend, opens against French wild card Simon Gauzy. The Lebrun brothers sit in the same section of the draw: Félix plays Denmark's Anders Lind and Alexis faces Germany's Patrick Franziska. Flavien Coton, another French hope, meets South Korea's Jang Woojin.

In the women's draw, world No. 1 Sun Yingsha opens against French wild card Camille Lutz, while Wang Manyu meets Egypt's Hana Goda. Defending champion Wang Yidi plays Egypt's Dina Meshref, Japan's Miwa Harimoto takes on Brazil's Bruna Takahashi, and last year's runner-up Winter faces France's Jia Nan Yuan. Prithika Pavade, the leading French woman, plays Japan's Hitomi Sato.

Malaysia-time guide

France moved back to winter time on 25 October, so Montpellier is now seven hours behind Malaysia. Based on the French federation's published schedule, Lutz v Sun Yingsha at 13:10 local time is 8:10pm in Malaysia on Tuesday. Félix Lebrun's match against Lind (18:30 local) starts at 1:30am on Wednesday Malaysia time, with Poret v Möregårdh (20:50 local) at 3:50am.

On Wednesday, Gauzy v Harimoto is listed for 19:05 local time, which is 2:05am on Thursday in Malaysia, and Alexis Lebrun v Franziska follows at 20:15 local (3:15am Thursday). Session times can shift if matches overrun, so fans should check the official World Table Tennis schedule on the day.

Why the event matters

The Champions series is one of the most exclusive tiers on the WTT calendar, with small fields made up largely of the world's top-ranked players. Montpellier also opens a back-to-back European swing: WTT Champions Frankfurt follows immediately from 3 to 8 November, where Matsushima and Japan's Hina Hayata are the 2025 winners.

For Asian fans, the week is a chance to see how Harimoto carries his continental form into a stronger field, and whether China's women, led by Sun Yingsha and Wang Manyu, can reassert control after Wang Yidi's narrow win here last year.

Key takeaways

• WTT Champions Montpellier runs 27 October to 1 November with 32 men and 32 women.
• Sora Matsushima and Wang Manyu are the top seeds; Truls Möregårdh and Wang Yidi are defending champions.
• Newly crowned Asian champion Tomokazu Harimoto opens against Simon Gauzy.
• Montpellier is seven hours behind Malaysia, so evening sessions finish in the early hours locally.

FAQ

When does WTT Champions Montpellier 2026 finish? The finals are on Sunday, 1 November, the last of six days of competition.

Who won the tournament in 2025? Truls Möregårdh beat Sora Matsushima in the men's final, and Wang Yidi beat Sabine Winter 4-3 in the women's final.

What comes after Montpellier? WTT Champions Frankfurt runs from 3 to 8 November, completing a two-week European swing.

Sources: Fédération Française de Tennis de Table, Hérault Tribune, World Table Tennis, Andro, Wikipedia